Med School Café - Expert Advice for the Community

On July 29, Dr. Ghazanfar H. Qureshi, assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and an interventional cardiologist with USA Physicians Group, presented the July Med School Cafe lecture.

During the lecture, titled “Alternative Approach to Cardiac Catheterizations,” Dr. Qureshi discussed the benefits of radial artery cardiac catheterizations, an alternative approach to traditional cardiac catheterizations. Cardiac catheterizations are performed to evaluate the coronary arteries for the presence of obstruction to blood flow. Traditionally, the entry point for a cardiac catheterization has been in the groin area through the femoral artery. However, a radial artery catheterization can be performed through the radial artery in the patient’s wrist, significantly reducing the risk of bleeding complications and recovery time.

Watch the video below to view the lecture in its entirety.

The next Med School Cafe lecture will feature Dr. Steve Cordina, assistant professor of neurology at the USA College of Medicine. To make reservations, call (251) 460-7770.


Med School Cafe Alternative Approach to Cardiac Catheterization from USA Health System on Vimeo.

41st Annual Medical Student Research Day Features Dr. Arthur P. Grollman

Dr. Arthur Grollman, distinguished professor of pharmacological sciences, Evelyn G. Glick Professor of Experimental Medicine, and director of the Zickler Laboratory of Chemical Biology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, gives the key note address during the University of South Alabama College of Medicine Summer Research Day Aug. 1, 2014.

The University of South Alabama College of Medicine’s 41st annual Medical Student Research Day took place Aug. 1, 2014, in the Medical Sciences Building.

The event featured Dr. Arthur P. Grollman, distinguished professor of pharmacological sciences, Evelyn G. Glick Professor of Experimental Medicine, and director of the Zickler Laboratory of Chemical Biology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNYSB).

The USA Summer Research Program is a 10-week program that allows medical students to gain a better appreciation for biomedical research and the contribution it makes to the applied science that is needed to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Both oral presentations and poster presentations were given by the students.

Click here to learn more about Dr. Grollman. To view more photos from the event, click here.

University of South Alabama medical student Daphne Portis talks with  Dr. Errol Crook, chair of internal medicine, about her research project during Summer Research Day Aug. 1, 2014.

USA Welcomes Dr. Brocato

Dr. Brian Brocato was recently appointed assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the division of maternal fetal medicine at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

Dr. Brocato earned his medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. He completed an obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn., where he served as administrative chief resident. He also completed a fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Dr. Brocato will see patients at the USA OBGYN High Risk Clinic, which is located at 1707 Center Street Suite 102 in Mobile. To make an appointment with Dr. Brocato, call (251) 415-1496.

GME Program Expands to Include Child, Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship

The University of South Alabama graduate medical education program recently expanded to include a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. The program will be directed by Dr. Eddie Finn (center), assistant professor of psychiatry. Also pictured are Dr. Maria Hamilton (left) and Dr. Miriam M. Sevilla. 

On July 1, 2014, the University of South Alabama graduate medical education program expanded to include a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. The program is directed by Dr. Eddie Finn, assistant professor of psychiatry, in collaboration with AltaPointe Health Care Systems.

The first class to begin training this summer is comprised of three physicians.

“As faculty of the USA department of psychiatry, we are all engaged in the clinical work and teaching programs of AltaPointe and the USA College of Medicine,” said Dr. Finn. “We were eager to address a significant shortage area in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.”

Because of the shortage of trained child and adolescent psychiatry professionals in the area, several organizations pulled together the resources to launch the program. Dr. Finn says that the Coastal Resource and Resiliency Center at USA was a major contributor.

The fellows in the new program will experience a collaborative model of training characterized by a combination of public, private, and academic environments. The curriculum  provides them with a broad base of experience and opportunities as they proceed through the two-year training program. After completing the training program, fellows will be board-eligible in child and adolescent psychiatry.

“Fellows will spend the majority of their first year at BayPointe Hospital, working on the inpatient units and in the residential programs of the hospital, with the remainder of the year devoted to outpatient clinics in specialties such as pediatric neurology, genetics, developmental pediatrics, and adolescent substance abuse,” said Dr. Finn.

During the second year of the program, the fellows will be providing consultation services to various schools within the Mobile County School System, as well as providing outpatient services within the Children’s Outpatient Clinic at AltaPointe. “Fellows will learn to provide telepsychiatry services for outlying clinics in Bayou la Batre and Chatom, Ala.,” Dr. Finn said.

The program offers a variety of electives, including research electives, that work with the Healthy Youth and Families Lab at USA, The Little Tree Preschool,  the Pediatric Healthy Life Center,  the Lemoyne School.

“There is little room for argument that the community and the region will benefit from this program,” said Dr. Finn. “We expect to see a significant positive impact on the lives of children and adolescents in this region as the program comes online.”